New human ‘organ’ that protects vital tissues identified

Scientists have identified a new human ‘organ’ consisting of a network of fluid-filled compartments that act like shock absorbers and protects tissues of vital organs from tearing. The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, has implications for the function of all organs, most tissues and the mechanisms of most major diseases. Researchers from the New York University in the US showed that layers of the body long thought to be dense, connective tissues – below the skin’s surface, lining the digestive tract, lungs and urinary systems, and surrounding arteries, veins, and the fascia between muscles – are instead interconnected, fluid-filled compartments.

This series of spaces, supported by a meshwork of strong (collagen) and flexible (elastin) connective tissue proteins, may act like shock absorbers that keep tissues from tearing as organs, muscles, and vessels squeeze, pump, and pulse as part of daily function. The finding that this layer is a highway of moving fluid may explain why cancer that invades it becomes much more likely to spread. Draining into the lymphatic system, the newfound network is the source of lymph, the fluid vital to the functioning of immune cells that generate inflammation.

Furthermore, the cells that reside in the space, and collagen …read more